


A Fresh Start

by Ononymous



Series: Father's Day/Asgore Week 2019 [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Undertale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 10:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19293850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: When his son brings a wounded guest to their house, the King of Monsters has to decide what to do, and opts to act in his better nature, for better or worse.





	A Fresh Start

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Optimistic

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap..._

The rhythm of the sound was oddly soothing to Asgore, given the weight of the situation. Drinking his tea, he looked over to the source, once again seeing his son pacing on the rug before the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back, worry etched in his face. Occasionally he would sniffle, trying to forestall tears, or look up at one of the pictures on the mantlepiece. The King continued to watch this scene for what felt like hours, though only minutes had passed. Before he realised it, Asriel was besides his chair, tapping on his knee.

"Hey, can I go in and see them again now?"

"No, Asriel."

"C'mon, _pleeeeeeease!_ "

"I said no. You mustn't interrupt your mother while she cares for them."

"B-but, but what if something happens to them and they... And it was my fault...?"

With his child's fears given form, Asgore picked up Asriel and rested him on his knee, stroking his head as tenderly as his large hands allowed. "Whatever happens, Son, it is not your fault. You did the right thing, bringing them to a grown up. Worse would have happened if you never found them. I'm proud of you."

The praise produced the smile Asgore had hoped for, though Asriel's eyes clearly gave away the fear he still felt for their guest. Only more information could truly get Asriel to relax. As though this silent wish was heard, the door to the living room opened, and his wife entered.

"Mom! How's-"

Asgore squeezed his son's shoulder to help calm him down. "How does it look, Toriel?"

"It looks worse than it actually is, Asgore," she said, "but it is still quite bad. The cavern walls gave them many cuts and scrapes during the fall, though I was able to clean those up. The landing was the worst part it seems. They were fortunate to land among grass and soil rather than bare rock, because I doubt they would have made it, but soil is still quite hard from such a height. Their ankle was twisted , two ribs were cracked, and their arm badly broken. I healed as much as I could, but it has been so long since I treated mundane wounds in beings of physical matter, I could not set them completely right. They are resting right now, and should not use their arm and foot for at least a few days. It was good they got to me so quickly," she now looked down at her son, beaming, "and they could never have reached any help on their own. You very well may have saved their life, my child I am so proud of you."

Asriel started crying, out of relief more than anything. Asgore handed him over to Toriel to allow her to comfort him, and shared his son's relief that the immediate danger had passed.

"Goodness," he said, "what an awful experience to go through. Poor thing."

"Absolutely," she agreed, "they must be so scared."

"What do you mean, Mom?" asked, Asriel, halting his tears. "They didn't look scared when I was helping them to the house."

"Perhaps their injuries distracted them. But they definitely pushed back in the bed when I approached."

"Well humans have not seen monsters for centuries," suggested Asgore, "perhaps your appearance startled them?"

"Possibly. But they also flinched at the mere act of my touching them, unless I was really gentle. It took a while for them to let me try and heal them. I can only imagine the pain has really shaken them."

"Hey," said Asriel, "do... do they know about the barrier? I mean I didn't tell them, I was busy keeping them upright..."

"I did not tell them either," said Toriel, "so..." The three monsters looked at each other, uncomfortably.

"We'll let them rest," said Asgore, "then I shall tell them. For now, I must discuss this with the council."

"Can I keep an eye on them?" asked Asriel. "Maybe I can keep them company until you get back!"

"If they are asleep, you are to stay out of the room," insisted Toriel, "and Guardsman Loren will make sure you stay out."

"Aww... well can I take a book or toy or something out first?"

"If you're quiet," chuckled Asgore.

"Deal!"

* * *

Asgore couldn't remember the last time a council meeting had been so animated, and it was for a good reason. There was a wide range of opinions, from keeping a guard next to the human's room, to keeping the entire guard next to the human's cell in a dungeon. On the whole, the councillors had been listening to Gerson's account - wild bonfire yarn, more like it - of humans a little too uncritically. If it had been the day after the barrier was raised he could have understood, but for the first human encounter in centuries... After the council had finished voicing every fear of shadows under their beds, he decided to demure on a final decision pending his handling the visitor personally. That alone seemed to ease them for the moment, so Asgore returned to his house. After checking Asriel was busy colouring in at the table, he approached the armoured Loox standing by his son's bedroom.

"How many attempts to sneak in, Kai?"

"Just the two, Sire."

Asgore chuckled. "He's developing more patience. Listen, how about you stand outside our front door for now? I don't want to make them feel like a prisoner, and there is just as close, really. Ask the queen if you'd like some pie."

Kai did not look like he thought much of the suggestion, but the bribe assuaged his scruples. He snapped a salute and walked into the hall. Asgore carefully opened the door and tiptoed inside the bedroom. Books and toys covered a small table and the floor along one side of the room. Asriel normally put off tidying until dessert was threatened, though on this occasion his missing the chance to clean the mess could be understood. In the bed on the other side lay a human child, asleep and surrounded by Asriel's soft toys like an honour guard. Roughly the height of his son, dishevelled brown hair and rosy cheeks atop soft, hairless skin. One arm was wrapped in tight bandages, and though Toriel had dealt with scrapes bruises littered the rest of their visible skin, as did some plasters. A badly torn green jumper lay crumpled on the floor next to the bed, and Asgore recognised a short sleeved pyjama top Asriel had gotten for his birthday. He found himself staring for a while, trying to match this child to the last memories he had of human contact, wondering if time had warped them. Before he had the chance to decide what to do next, their eyelids flickered open, and brown eyes looked at him blankly.

"Well hello, child." He smiled, forgetting he had fangs.

The brown eyes widened, and with a gasp the child bolted up right, before giving a small cry of pain.

"Oh! I'm sorry," said Asgore, "I didn't mean to startle you. Please be careful, you haven't fully recovered yet."

The child still regarded him warily, but the apology had set their mind racing, like they weren't used to it. They fidgeted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. Asgore took the opportunity to sit cross-legged on the floor, much like he would when reading Asriel a bedtime story.

"I believe my son mentioned your name. Chara, wasn't it?" They nodded slowly. "Well howdy, Chara. My name is Asgore Dreemurr. How are you feeling?"

Chara took a deep breath while continuing to think. "Sore. My foot hurts, and breathing is hard, and my arm is throbbing."

Asgore nodded patiently. "That fits with what Toriel told me, yes."

"Toriel? The goat lady?"

The memory of an ancient pejorative contrasted with its innocent use made Asgore want to laugh. "Yes, the goat lady. She is my wife, and we are Asriel's parents."

"I figured," said Chara, examining Asgore's features carefully.

"Toriel has always been better than I at healing magic. You-"

"Magic? It really exists?" The news looked interesting to Chara, rather than wondrous or exciting. "I thought the goat- Toriel- I mean Mrs Dreemurr- was just using ointment."

"You... you haven't seen magic before?"

Chara shrugged. "Never seen you folk before either. Guess it's really well hidden."

What a child knew of the world didn't amount to an accurate picture much of the time, but the suggestion that humans no longer had magic was an interesting tidbit. Regardless, he kept on topic. "While Toriel could heal the worst of your injuries, you shall still have to stay in bed for a while, until you fully recover."

Chara poked at their bandaged arm and winced. "Okay," they said, looking at Asgore's open face. "You've seen us before."

"Hmm?"

"When that kid... When Asriel was helping me walk here, we passed some buildings. I didn't pay attention, because my arm hurt really bad, worse than now, but I felt like everyone was watching me. Like they'd never seen anyone like me before. Well I've never seen them before either, so I guess it's fair. But you aren't looking at me like that. I'm not a surprise to you."

Asgore nodded, seeing no need to hide that fact. "You are most observant, Chara. Yes, most monsters, that is what we call ourselves, have never seen a live human before. Toriel and I have, though not for a very long time."

Chara looked to be taking all this information remarkably well. Asgore caught them looking above his face, he realised at his crown. "Are you the boss around here, Mister Dreemurr?"

He took the crown off, examining it. It needed polished. "Yes, I am the leader down here."

"Oh." Their face focused in thought. "Are you really strict about permission?"

"Permission?"

"To leave. There's a legend, you know. ' _Those who climb Mount Ebott never return._ ' I know my foot still hurts, but when it gets better would it be okay if I leave? I was just taking shelter from the rain, I'm sorry if I've trespassed or something."

Asgore's face drooped at the question. "Chara.. the legend is true. But not because of me."

"Okay, do you have a boss I can ask? I'd like to continue my journey."

The king struggled with the moment of revelation, but finally steeled himself. "It is not a matter of permission. We are trapped."

Asgore briefly recounted the story of the war, and how the barrier worked. He neglected how one could cross or destroy the barrier, because frankly he had half-forgotten them, not really considering them as options. As stoic as Chara had been, the news they were now imprisoned finally had an effect on them. They began to tremble, and curled up on themselves as much as their injuries would allow. Instinctively Asgore reached out a comforting arm, and Chara flinched, so he withdrew. As the trembling subsided, Asgore got the feeling he was being watched, so looked over to the door. He spotted a green eye peeking through a gap, the door ajar. It widened, and then vanished. Looking back to Chara, the trembling had subsided.

"I'm sorry, child," he said, "but if we are the mere subject of legend and story, it is unlikely anyone remembers us on the surface. I do not think anyone will look for you here."

He'd expected a full breakdown into sobbing at this, but instead the opposite appeared to happen. Chara collected themselves and carefully adjusted their posture on the bed. "Maybe that's not so bad."

"Not so bad...?"

"If nobody knows you're here, then they won't come down here and find you. And that means they won't find me. Maybe that's for the best."

"For the best?" repeated Asgore, bewildered. "But what about your mother? Your father?" Chara didn't answer, and Asgore missed a clenched fist. "Won't they worry about you?"

"...probably not. I've been gone longer than this before. And I guess I can't go back even if I wanted to. No point crying about it. Besides, if humans were dumb enough to try and get rid of you, maybe you aren't so bad. I guess I should thank you for fixing me up, not everyone would do that."

Any surprise at their inhuman hosts had completely vanished from Chara, and it sparked a long-dead fire in Asgore, bypassing the concern about the stoicism Chara had about their predicament. "Well you're welcome, Chara. I'm glad you don't think we're too scary."

"Things that look like monsters don't scare me," said Chara, cheeks flushing in defiance. "So when I'm feeling better, is there somewhere I can sleep? I don't need a lot of space or a big bed, I'm used to being alone..."

"Well you are not alone any longer, little one. You may stay here as long as you need."

The words escaped Asgore before he had considered them, even as he reached out and patted their head, this time without resistance. This was a bold decision to make, even for a King. But he had a feeling. Toriel had said it for centuries, and here was proof: Not all humans were against them. Befriending one, caring for them. It was the right thing to do, of course, but it was also an opportunity. A chance to prove they had a future together. But there would be a lot of people to justify this decision to. The Council, the Royal Guard, the few remaining veterans of the war, and of course Toriel-

"Absolutely, my child! You are welcome to stay with us."

Asgore and Chara jerked their heads to the door, where Toriel and Asriel had been watching the conversation.

"Thank you, Mister Dreemurr," said Chara, smiling for the first time, "that sounds nice."

"Oh man, this is so cool!" cried Asriel. "A human in my house! Oh, I'm gonna show you how to skate on Snowdin Road and take you to Old Man Gerson to hear stories and you can totally have my bed I don't need it right now and we can share toys and-"

"This is your bed?" asked Chara. "Then where will you sleep?"

"Oh. I didn't think of that..."

Toriel chuckled at her son, then looked towards the hallway. "Guardsman Loren," she called, "could you go to the barracks and get help bringing one of the smaller beds here? It looks like my son will need to borrow it."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And Asriel," she continued teasingly, "there better be a clear space for the bed by the time he returns or you can sleep on the rug in the living room."

"Oh, okay!" He dived into the detritus of his morning play session, stacking much of it on the table in advance of properly sorting it out. Chara watched him with their small smile, then looked back at the others.

"Thank you again, Mister and Mrs Dreemurr."

"Not at all, my child," said Toriel, "and you do not have to be so formal. Asgore and Toriel is fine."

"Huh?" said Asriel. "Why not Mom and Dad?"

"That's a little presumptuous, Asriel," said Asgore, though he exchanged smiles with Toriel.

"Well I think it will be nice to stay here for a while, Asgore," said Chara, "and sure, I'll play with you when my foot feels better, Asriel."

"Yes! This is great!"

"Well then," said Toriel, delighted at the arrangement, "Gorey, can you help me prepare dinner? We shall obviously have to bring it in here."

"Of course, Tori."

"Let us know if you need anything, children." They closed the door on the blur that was Asriel and the thoughtful Chara. "You are not just being a big softie, Asgore. You felt it, didn't you?"

"Yes," he said, unabashed, "we can put our best foot forward with Chara. It may not amount to much, but..."

"It amounts to everything in the world, Asgore," she said. "Even if the barrier remains for eternity, this proves those mages wrong, and that alone is worth it. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank our son."

They nuzzled in joy at their unity of purpose, preparing to adjust their family. Meanwhile Chara continued to watch Asriel babble nonstop about this cool thing and that awesome thing about the Underground. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Chara felt nothing but sincerity from the members of their new home. But a slew of human faces refused to leave their thoughts, reminding them of the past. They couldn't let go.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
